Death of a Myth

You’ve heard, “Kill your darlings.” Well, I’m here to tell you to “Murder the myth.” 

Every writer I meet or work with comes with the belief that good writing is the ability to describe in detail, a picture, as it exists, in his or her mind. They spend inordinate amounts of time trying to force the duplication of that picture. Such a belief is a myth.

The primary goal of the writer is the emotional engagement of the reader, not what they should envision from your description. Narrative descriptions must allow readers to come to their own conclusions—to imagine what is happening, not to be told what is happening. If a reader can’t engage his or her own imagination (picture) of what is happening, there is no reason to read. Reading is supposed to be interactive.